Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/25
Here are Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL, including gameday elevations for tomorrow’s Week 16 slate:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: CB Jaden Davis, WR Steven Sims
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed from practice squad: CB C.J. Henderson
- Waived: WR/KR Jamal Agnew
- Elevated: WR Chris Blair, OLB Khalid Kareem
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: DT Josh Tupou, LB William Kwenkeu
- Placed on IR: LB Teddye Buchanan (story)
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: WR Mecole Hardman
- Elevated: K Michael Badgley, DE Andre Jones Jr.
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: LB Isaiah Simmons, OL Saahdiq Charles
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: DT Howard Cross, CB Bralyn Lux
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: CB Corey Ballentine
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: QB Sam Ehlinger, S Delarrin Turner-Yell
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: OL Kingsley Eguakun, TE Giovanni Ricci
Houston Texans
- Elevated: DT Marlon Davidson, CB Alijah Huzzie
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: S Marcus Williams, G Branson Taylor
Miami Dolphins
- Signed from practice squad: CB Ethan Robinson
- Placed on IR: DB Elijah Campbell
- Elevated: OL Kion Smith, WR Theo Wease
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed from practice squad: CB Dwight McGlothern
- Elevated: LB Sione Takitaki
New York Giants
- DT Elijah Chatman, K Ben Sauls
New York Jets
- Elevated: DB Tre Brown
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: T Easton Kilty, TE Moliki Matavao
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: CB Daryl Porter Jr., T Jack Driscoll
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: LB Nick Martin
Tennessee Titans
- Signed from practice squad: DT Cam Horsley
- Waived: DT Shy Tuttle
- Elevated: CB Kamon Hall
Agnew’s time in Atlanta has come to an end after 11 appearances with his third career team. The veteran did not see any usage on offense, but he handled 45 total returns between kickoffs and punts this season. Agnew totaled 855 yards in that capacity, but he will now hit the waiver wire. Provided he clears, the 30-year-old will become a free agent.
The same is true of Tuttle. A veteran of 105 games, he has made just one start so far this season. Tuttle has only handled a 25% snap share on defense, so he is unlikely to generate much interest as a free agent. Nevertheless, a depth role could await him on a contender down the stretch.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/25
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return from IR: LB Jay Higgins
Buffalo Bills
- Designated for return from IR: WR Mecole Hardman
Carolina Panthers
- Designated for return from IR: WR David Moore
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return from reserve/PUP: LB Winston Reid
Denver Broncos
- Designated for return from IR: LB Karene Reid
Detroit Lions
- Designated for return from IR: T Giovanni Manu
Green Bay Packers
- Designated for return from reserve/PUP: G John Williams
- Placed on IR: LB Micah Parsons (story)
Houston Texans
- Designated for return from IR: LB Darrell Taylor
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: QB Patrick Mahomes (story)
- Opened practice window: TE Jake Briningstool, DB Nazeeh Johnson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: DE Jahfari Harvey
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off Texans’ practice squad: LB Jackson Woodard
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: S Rashad Wisdom
Tennessee Titans
- Designated for return from IR: LB Ali Gaye, LB Oluwafemi Oladejo, WR Bryce Oliver
Probably the most overqualified transaction we’ve ever listed in this space, Mahomes is heading to IR for the first time. The superstar Chiefs quarterback suffered ACL and LCL tears and has undergone surgery. Generally, Chiefs IR-return moves are impactful at this stage of the season. In the cases of Briningstool and Johnson, they are returning to practice for a 6-8 team. The Chiefs designated both for return in August, meaning both have already counted toward the team’s eight-activation total. As our IR return tracker shows, Kansas City has not used any other injury activations this season.
Given a one-year, $4.75MM deal by the Texans, Taylor worked as a backup in four games before going down with an ankle injury. Despite his contract, the former Seahawks second-rounder played just 64 defensive snaps before hitting IR.
2025 NFL Dead Money, By Team
As we head toward the playoffs, three NFL teams are carrying more than $100MM in dead money. That represents more than a third of the salary cap. The 49ers are also on track to make the playoffs with more than $100MM allocated to players no longer on their 53-man roster. Here is where the 32 teams stand for dead money (via OverTheCap) with three weeks left in the regular season:
- New Orleans Saints: $107.83MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $103.77MM
- New York Jets: $102.1MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $87.79MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $87.27MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $86.1MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $85.49MM
- Cleveland Browns: $83.22MM
- Miami Dolphins: $72.45MM
- Houston Texans: $66.44MM
- Tennessee Titans: $59.42MM
- Green Bay Packers: $57.98MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $56.23MM
- New England Patriots: $50.56MM
- Denver Broncos: $42.78MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $41.34MM
- Detroit Lions: $40.71MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $40.39MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $38.78MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $38.38MM
- Buffalo Bills: $37.58MM
- Carolina Panthers: $36.55MM
- New York Giants: $33.74MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $33.7MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $30.6MM
- Washington Commanders: $27.29MM
- Atlanta Falcons: $27MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $20.99MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $20.33MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $17.37MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $16.51MM
- Chicago Bears: $8.6MM
The $100MM trio dwarfs last year’s leaders — the Broncos — in this unwanted area. The Saints began taking some overdue medicine for their cap-gymnastics past by trading Marshon Lattimore last year. That move coming after June 1 pushed $31.67MM onto New Orleans’ 2025 cap sheet. Derek Carr also counts $19.2MM on this year’s Saints cap, while Ryan Ramczyk‘s retirement covers more than $11MM.
The Carr punishment covers $55.88MM in total, meaning nearly $37MM from the QB’s retirement will land on New Orleans’ 2026 payroll. Mickey Loomis‘ spree of restructures on that contract created that inflated figure.
Deebo Samuel brought a receiver-record dead money total to the 49ers, who absorbed $34.12MM by trading the seventh-year veteran in March. The second leg of the post-June 1 Arik Armstead transaction from 2024 created a $15MM dead cap hit this year, with void years on Charvarius Ward‘s deal covering more than $12MM.
Gang Green took on barely $20MM combined from the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades and will do the same next year, reflecting the low signing bonus figure on the Gardner extension. The Jets, though, have taken $56MM in total from the Aaron Rodgers release ($21MM this year, $35MM next). That is the second-highest total dead cap hit in NFL history.
The team that authorized the highest dead money sum in league annals — Denver, via the 2024 Russell Wilson release — is still carrying $32MM on that contract. It comes off the books next year, and the Broncos do not have any other player counting more than $3MM in dead cap on their 2025 payroll.
The Eagles and Seahawks are also moving toward the playoffs with higher dead money counts compared to the 2024 Broncos, though it should be noted the cap’s $24MM increase from last year plays into this. Philadelphia is still carrying a combined $26MM from the 2024 Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox retirements. Josh Sweat void years also comprise $16.44MM of this year’s cap. The Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf trade brought $21MM in dead cap, while Geno Smith, Tyler Lockett and Dre’Mont Jones combine to cover more than $41MM in dead money.
Amari Cooper and Za’Darius Smith‘s 2024 Cleveland exits via trade tagged the Browns with more than $36MM in dead money together, while the Dolphins are dealing with more than $30MM combined from the post-June 1 designations on Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey. The latter counts $15.7MM in dead money this year and $20.9MM in 2026. That eclipses Lattimore’s defender-record total for dead cap.
Titans Place Safeties Kevin Winston, Xavier Woods, Mike Brown On IR
The Titans placed safeties Kevin Winston, Xavier Woods, and Mike Brown on injured reserve on Tuesday, per team writer Jim Wyatt.
All three went down in the Titans’ loss to the 49ers on Sunday and will be out for the rest of the season. Winston and Woods suffered hamstring injuries, while Brown hurt his ankle.
Winston and Woods combined for 16 starts and 839 snaps on defense this year and are the team’s sixth- and eighth-leading tacklers. Winston, a third-round rookie, had emerged as a full-time starter in the second half of the season, while Woods’ role has varied. Their absences will force Tennessee to start a different safety alongside Amani Hooker.
Brown could have fit the bill had he not been injured on Sunday, too. He played special teams almost exclusively this season, but last year, he occupied a 37% defensive snap share with 250 snaps at free safety, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). This is Brown’s second stint on IR this year; he previously suffered a knee injury in October and missed five games.
Kendell Brooks finished Sunday’s game at safety for the first significant defensive workload of his career. He could be tapped to start with Hooker in the next few weeks. Another option is former Seahawk Jerrick Reed, who has played a handful of defensive snaps in the last three years, but has primarily featured on special teams.
The Titans also added two safeties to their 53-man roster after placing Winston, Woods, and Brown on IR. 2023 sixth-rounder Erick Hallett, who started two games for the Lions amid their safety injuries this year, was signed off Detroit’s practice squad and could see playing time immediately. Tennesee also signed Sanoussi Kane off the Ravens’ practice squad; the 2024 seventh-rounder spent his rookie season as a core special teams contributor in Baltimore but was waived earlier this season in favor of undrafted rookie standout Keondre Jackson.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Sunday’s action provided more clarity on a number of fronts relating to the playoff pushes in each conference. The list of teams still in contention for the top pick in the 2026 draft remains long, however.
Week 15 saw the Broncos and Rams clinch a postseason berth. Meanwhile, the Chiefs, Bengals and Vikings have each officially been eliminated from the playoffs. They will join the group of teams turning their attention to offseason planning. That of course includes extensive evaluation of the top prospects in this year’s class; several have already turned pro (with some exceptions).
Sunday’s results mean there are nine teams with two, three or four wins. Each of them remain candidates to secure the No. 1 selection, although victories by the Saints and Commanders yesterday will greatly hinder their chances of moving to the top of the order. Jockeying amongst teams like the Raiders, Jets and Cardinals (each on track to pursue a new quarterback this spring) will be a storyline worth following closely down the stretch.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an updated look at the first-round order:
- New York Giants (2-12)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)
- Tennessee Titans (2-12)
- Cleveland Browns (3-11)
- New York Jets (3-11)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-11)
- New Orleans Saints (4-10)
- Washington Commanders (4-10)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-10)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Miami Dolphins (6-8)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (6-8)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
- Carolina Panthers (7-7)
- Detroit Lions (8-6)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6)
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-5)
- Houston Texans (9-5)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Buffalo Bills (10-4)
- Chicago Bears (10-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)
- San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- New England Patriots (11-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (11-3)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-3)
- Denver Broncos (12-2)
Ravens LB Teddye Buchanan Tears ACL
2:05pm: Harbaugh confirmed on Monday that Buchanan has in fact torn his ACL. The team hopes a return in time for training camp next summer will be possible (h/t Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic).
8:59am: The Ravens’ defense recorded a shutout on Sunday. The unit will likely be without another starter for the remainder of the season, however. 
Linebacker Teddye Buchanan was carted off the field yesterday after suffering a knee injury during punt coverage. After the game, head coach John Harbaugh expressed concern a lengthy absence would be in store and it appears that will indeed be the case. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Buchanan is feared to have suffered an ACL tear.
Further testing will take place today to confirm the diagnosis. Presuming that takes place, Baltimore will be without a starter at the second level of the defense. Trenton Simpson began the year in a timeshare with Buchanan for playing time, but the latter quickly took on a full-time role. A fourth-round rookie, Buchanan has totaled 93 tackles in 2025; that figure ranks second on the team behind only Roquan Smith.
Instead of continuing in his role down the stretch and potentially into the postseason, Buchanan’s attention will now turn to a lengthy recovery process. The 23-year-old’s availability for the start of next season will be in question provided an ACL tear winds up being confirmed in his case. Meanwhile, a Ravens front seven which is already without All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike for the remainder of the year will move forward with a different tandem at the linebacker spot.
Smith will be tasked with remaining one of the Ravens’ top producers on defense. It now remains to be seen who will start alongside him at the other LB position, though. Simpson – a third-round pick in 2023 who has totaled 16 starts in his career – is the likeliest candidate. The Clemson product took over as a first-team presence after Buchanan exited, registering nine tackles. Undrafted rookie Jay Higgins resides on IR, so veteran special teamer Jake Hummel rounds out Baltimore’s depth chart at the moment.
Yesterday’s win moved the Ravens to 7-7 on the year. Top spot in the AFC North is still within reach, and winning the division is likely the only path to a postseason berth for Baltimore. If that is to be achieved, Buchanan will not be able to play a role the rest of the way.
Ravens, DT Travis Jones Agree To Extension
DECEMBER 12: Jones secured a signing bonus worth just over $9MM, as detailed by Over the Cap. His guarantee figure includes his $1.22MM base salary for next season and a $6.5MM option bonus. Jones’ cap hit will spike to $16.35MM in 2027 and remain the same the following year. A $1MM roster bonus is due on the fifth day of the league year in 2028.
DECEMBER 11: Travis Jones loomed as one of the Ravens’ top pending free agents for 2026. The fourth-year defensive tackle will not be reaching the open market, however. 
Jones and the Ravens have agreed to a three-year extension, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports. As a result, Jones will be under contract through the 2028 campaign. This news – which is now official, per a team announcement – means one of the league’s top pending free agents at the position will not become available in March.
The Jones pact is worth $40.5MM, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That works out to an average annual value of $13.5MM, a sharp increase in the former third-rounder’s compensation compared to his rookie contract. Given the nature of the DT market, however, this deal will be viewed as a team-friendly one provided Jones can maintain his current level of play against the run. Jones will receive $25MM in guarantees, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds.
A rotational presence during his first two seasons in the NFL, Jones became a starter in 2023. The 26-year-old set a new career high with 42 tackles last year, a figure he has a strong chance of surpassing this campaign. Jones has only posted five sacks and 21 quarterback pressures to date in his career, and as such expectations will remain low regarding his future production against the pass. Still, his run-stopping presence will be welcomed in Baltimore for years to come.
The context leading up to this agreement helps explain its timing. As Zrebiec notes, a CBA issue meant Jones had actually been on track for restricted free agency this spring with one of his previous seasons not accruing for contract purposes. A grievance was filed on his behalf by the NFLPA, with a hearing scheduled for today. The outcome of that process would have determined Jones’ future regarding his free agent status. Being an RFA would have likely set him up for a second-round tender only covering the 2026 season.
Instead, that has now become a moot point. Negotiations between the Ravens and Jones’ agent prior to the hearing finalized this agreement, one which will ensure stability along the defensive interior for the foreseeable future. This extension comes amidst questions regarding fellow defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike‘s status. The All-Pro landed on IR in September due to a neck injury, and it was learned shortly thereafter that he would not return this season. Madubuike is on the books through 2027 on a pact averaging $24.5MM per season, so his recovery outlook will be critical moving forward.
In any case, Jones’ future is no longer in doubt. The UConn product was one of several pending free agents whom the Ravens viewed as high priorities for new deals. Another was tight end Mark Andrews, and team and player recently worked out a three-year deal in that case as well. As the 6-7 Ravens continue to push for top spot in the AFC North, it will be interesting to see if other agreements such as this one wind up being finalized prior to free agency.
Ravens Activate S Ar’Darius Washington, OLB Tavius Robinson to 53-Man Roster
The Ravens are getting some defensive reinforcements for the closing stretch of the regular season. Baltimore is activating veteran safety Ar’Darius Washington from the reserve/physically unable to perform list and third-year pass rusher Tavius Robinson from injured reserve. Both players held starting roles before being placed on their respective injured lists. 
It was seven months ago, to the day, that Washington suffered an Achilles tear that was expected to hold him out for the entirety of the 2025 NFL season. A former undrafted free agent out of TCU, Washington started out as a strong special teamer and a role player on defense. When Baltimore’s defense was struggling throughout defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s first season, the team jettisoned veterans Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson and placed Washington as a starter next to star Kyle Hamilton.
With Washington and Hamilton manning the defensive outfield, the Ravens defense rebounded, becoming one of the league’s strongest in the back half of the season. Shortly after suffering the offseason injury, Washington made a late-season return the target of his recovery. By arriving with four weeks left in the regular season, he’s more than met that goal. In Washington’s shorter-than-expected absence, the Ravens have become accustomed to fielding a three-safety defense. At any one time, the team will usually have rookie first-rounder Malaki Starks and trade acquisition Alohi Gilman in the secondary as the versatile, All-Pro Hamilton roams to places of greatest need.
With so many assets in the secondary, the Ravens may slow-play Washington’s return to the field. Alternatively, they may attempt to utilize him in a similar role to Hamilton. In the past, they’ve moved Washington back and forth between nickel and safety, so he holds a versatility of his own that the team could easily utilize out of their talent-rich safeties room.
Robinson has missed the last eight weeks after suffering a broken foot. Logging two sacks in his first six games of the season, Robinson led the team in that statistic before landing on IR. The Ravens have attempted to make improvements to their pass rush this season, giving Robinson a starting job across from Kyle Van Noy, drafting Mike Green in the second round, and making two trades that saw Odafe Oweh sent to Los Angeles (in exchange for Gilman) and Dre’Mont Jones arrive in Baltimore.
It hasn’t amounted to much, considering the Ravens currently rank 30th in the league with only 19 sacks this season. They’ll hope that adding Robinson back to the fold will help in that regard. The Ravens have been working with 51 players on their active roster since placing running back Justice Hill and defensive tackle Taven Bryan on IR in late-November, so no corresponding moves were needed to activate Washington and Robinson.
CB Desmond King Retires
Desmond King‘s NFL career has come to an end. The veteran cornerback and return specialist took to X to announce his retirement. 
King has not played in 2025, and his retirement announcement confirms he will not look to make a late-season return to the league. Nearing his 31st birthday, he will instead turn his attention to his post-playing days. King saw time with five different franchises over the course of his eight-year career.
A Chargers fifth-round pick in 2017, his NFL tenure began in Los Angeles and remained there until a November 2020 trade. King was dealt from the Chargers to the Titans, the team with which he finished playing out his rookie contract. During his first trip to free agency, a one-year Texans pact was worked out. King operated as a defensive starter during his debut Houston campaign, and he did so again the following year upon re-upping with the team.
After being released shortly before the start of the 2023 season, King had a brief spell with the Steelers. That was followed by a return to Houston which covered the remainder of the campaign. In 2024, similarly, King was cut after training camp before making one appearance with the Texans. His final NFL games took place as a member of the Ravens while serving as the team’s punt returner. Third phase success was a key factor early in King’s career; the Iowa product earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2018 for his work as a returner.
In all, King made a combined total of 113 regular and postseason appearances during his time in the NFL. He departs the game with $14MM in career earnings.
Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order
Week 14’s action brought about a few notable updates to the standings at both ends of the NFL’s conferences. Another four teams are officially out of playoff contention, while wins by Tennessee and New Orleans could prove to be rather important once the campaign has ended.
The Jets, Browns, Falcons and Commanders were eliminated from the postseason through the results of recent days. Of course, each of those teams have been out of the running for a playoff push for some time now. Still, that group will be worth watching closely over the closing four weeks of the season as the top-10 order for Day 1 of the draft gradually comes into focus.
Uncertainty regarding the quarterback class of 2026 will no doubt remain a talking point over the coming months. Fernando Mendoza strengthened his case to be QB1 in April’s draft, although it remains to be seen if other top signal-callers like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson will turn pro or elect to remain in school for one more season. Decisions on those fronts will be central storylines carrying significant implications for the teams near the top of the order which find themselves in need of a quarterback investment.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.
Here is an updated look at the first-round order:
- New York Giants (2-11)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
- Tennessee Titans (2-11)
- Cleveland Browns (3-10)
- New Orleans Saints (3-10)
- Washington Commanders (3-10)
- New York Jets (3-10)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
- Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
- Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
- Miami Dolphins (6-7)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-7)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-7)
- Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6)
- Detroit Lions (8-5)
- New York Jets (via Colts)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-5)
- Houston Texans (8-5)
- Chicago Bears (9-4)
- Buffalo Bills (9-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
- San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
- Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
- Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
- Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
- New England Patriots (11-2)
- Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
- Denver Broncos (11-2)